Quiz answers

1.How can you tell these pictures are of the same foot?

This hoof has a 'finger print'.  When the sole is cleaned up it is a good way of identifying a foot and it can help plot changes.  But sometimes, I freely admit, with plain soles, I have to rely on good sequencing (take pictures in the same order) and the position of my hands and feet ....... :-)

2.Describe five differences in the hoof between the pictures (ignore the trimming)

Ok - hooves never lie, but photos can mislead.  So it helps to really understand landmarks.  Although this is the same hoof, the one in the second photo is a good bit smaller than the one in the first.  It has got broader side to side and shorter heel to toe.  Also the hoof in the second photo is wet, which distorts the image somewhat and the hoof is a little later in the trim cycle.

So what do I think has changed?  1) Well the hoof is shorter toe to heel and broader side to side.  2) The central sulcus used to have a deep, narrow crevice in the middle.  This has filled in with healthy tissue. 3) Thrush is less evident 4) White line is tighter 5) More concavity in foot (hard to see, but check out just how flat the sole is in the first picture)  [And 6 - check out the collateral grooves; much more open in the second photo.]

3. Are these differences for better or worse?

All to the good

For part two of the quiz the pictures do link up with these (first photo to first photo, second to second).  The deep event lines which spread more widely at the heel are evidence of multiple laminitic events.  In the second photo The foot still continues to suffer LGL, which is hard to see, but the healing angle is not maintained to the ground.  For an idea of what to look for try this post.  And what is never evident from a photo, is that the horse is often footy over stones, albeit sometimes she is rock-crunching.

Just deshod

Several months later